2026 Volume 28 Issue 2 Pages 48-63
This study investigated the degree of coerciveness of action-requesting sentences in school newsletters, comparing the perceptions of 45 non-native Japanese speakers (JSL) and 46 native Japanese speakers (JJ). The study found that the JSL group tended to judge the coerciveness of questions and negative requests as weaker than the JJ group. In particular, there was a significant difference in the interpretation of negative-request sentences such as, “We do not accept used clothing” and in declarative sentences containing honorific forms such as, “Parents will also be asked to help.” Even when the writer used assertive statements, if honorific expressions were used, the JSL group tended to perceive the statement as less coercive. Interviews regarding the basis for judgment of coerciveness, revealed that the JSL group relied not only on vocabulary, sentence-ending expressions, and the presence or absence of honorific forms, but also on the perceived importance of the matter being discussed. On the other hand, the JJ group’s interpretations seemed to take into account the specificity of the content and their relationship with the writer.
